Bits and Balance v1.5.0

Major Additions

• Chat Heads

  • Player head icons now appear before usernames in chat messages
  • Renders player skin face (8x8 pixels by default) at the start of chat lines
  • Smooth alpha fading synchronized with chat text
  • Supports player chat, join/leave messages, death messages, and advancements
  • Configurable size (4-16 pixels) and horizontal offset (-10 to +10 pixels)
  • Player skin caching system for optimal performance
  • Proper hover detection - username tooltips appear at correct position
  • Can be toggled on/off in Client configuration

• Item Sharing in Chat

  • Share items in chat by pressing a customizable keybind (default: Shift + T)
  • NEW: Configurable Modifier Keys - Add Shift, Alt, and/or Ctrl modifiers to any keybind
    • Configure via client config: itemShareRequireShift, itemShareRequireAlt, itemShareRequireCtrl
    • Supports any combination: just the key, Shift+Key, Alt+Key, Ctrl+Key, or multi-modifier combos
    • Prevents keybind conflicts by allowing players to use modifier combinations like Alt+T
    • Extensible system that can be applied to any mod keybind
  • Items render inline with chat text as 3D models with proper depth and shading
  • Full support for enchantment glint animations on shared items
  • Perfect alpha fading - items fade in sync with chat text
  • Block items fade correctly using aggressive multi-level alpha system
  • Items render behind GUIs (inventory, chests, etc.) matching vanilla chat behavior
  • Hover over shared items to view full item tooltip with enchantments and lore
  • Proper spacing and positioning relative to chat heads and text
  • Network payload system for multiplayer compatibility

• Azalea Wood

  • Complete azalea wood block set with logs, planks, and all wood derivatives
  • World generation modification that replaces oak logs in azalea trees with custom azalea wood
  • Full crafting recipe support for all azalea wood items including stairs, slabs, buttons, pressure plates, fences, fence gates, doors, trapdoors, and signs
  • Creative mode tab "Bits and Balance Blocks" containing all azalea wood items
  • Comprehensive configuration system for enabling/disabling features and controlling generation behavior
  • JEI integration for recipe viewing and discovery
  • Complete loot table support for all azalea wood blocks

• Ore Variants

  • Replaces vanilla ores with matching andesite, diorite, granite, or tuff variants when touching those stones during world generation
  • Includes Create's zinc ores when that mod is present
  • Supports optional parallel processing with configurable thread count for faster chunk handling
  • Configuration: config/Bits and Balance/world.toml → enableOreVariants

• Reworked Map Recipe

  • New configurable crafting recipe for maps using ink sac instead of compass
  • Overrides vanilla map recipe when enabled
  • Uses 8 paper + 1 ink sac in the center (instead of compass)
  • Part of the dynamic recipe system - can be toggled via configuration
  • Configuration: config/Bits and Balance/recipes.toml → enableMapInkSacRecipe

• Dynamic Stair Recipe System

  • 8x Stair Output: All stair recipes (vanilla, modded, and custom) now yield 8 stairs instead of 4
  • Compact 2x2 Stair Recipe: New space-efficient recipe using 3 blocks in corner pattern (2x2 grid) to craft 4 stairs
  • Automatically scans and applies to ALL stair types from any loaded mod
  • Both features fully configurable and can be toggled independently
  • Configuration: config/Bits and Balance/recipes.toml → enableStairRecipeOverride and enableCompactStairRecipe

Minor Additions

• Keybind Modifier System

  • New universal system for adding configurable modifier key support to any keybind
  • Utility class KeybindModifierHelper provides reusable modifier checking methods
  • Three configuration options per keybind: requireShift, requireAlt, requireCtrl
  • Supports all combinations: single modifiers, double modifiers, or triple modifiers
  • Currently implemented for Item Sharing keybind, easily extensible to other keybinds
  • Helps prevent keybind conflicts in modpacks by allowing players to use combinations

• Sugarcane Sand Growth Acceleration

  • Sugarcane now grows 25% faster when planted on sand or red sand instead of grass/dirt
  • Works for the full 3-block height of sugarcane (1→2, 2→3, 3→4 block growth)
  • Uses optimized mixin system that correctly detects the base substrate regardless of which sugarcane block is being ticked
  • Fully configurable - can be enabled/disabled in tweaks configuration
  • Configuration: config/Bits and Balance/tweaks.toml → [tweaks.sugarcaneSand]

• Enderdragon Egg Always

  • Ender Dragon now always drops a dragon egg when killed (including respawned dragons)
  • First dragon kill uses vanilla behavior; mod handles subsequent respawned dragon kills
  • Fully configurable placement system:
    • Placement Mode: Choose between vanilla center placement or random radius spawning
    • Spawn Radius: Set egg spawn distance from End fountain (1-50 blocks, default: 10)
    • Spawn Delay: Configure delay after dragon death before egg appears (1-60 seconds, default: 10)
    • Particle Effects: Toggle purple particle explosion when egg spawns (portal + dragon breath particles)
  • Safe spawn location finding (searches for solid ground with air above)
  • Allows egg farming - multiple eggs can spawn without removing existing ones
  • Thread-safe implementation with proper server-side execution
  • Configuration: config/Bits and Balance/tweaks.toml → [tweaks.enderdragonEggAlways]

Minor Changes

• Depth Scaling Enemies
  • Updated default configuration values to match current balanced settings
  • Mid-tier equipment chance: 25% (was 28%)
  • Deep-tier equipment chance: 50% (was 35%)
  • Surface gold armor weight: 25% (was 26%)
  • Deep leather armor weight: 50% (was 20%)

Compatibility: This version maintains full compatibility with existing worlds and configurations. Chat Heads and Item Sharing are client-side features that work seamlessly in both singleplayer and multiplayer. Azalea wood generation and Enderdragon Egg Always can be enabled/disabled through the configuration file, with extensive customization options for egg spawning behavior.